Transitioning from being pregnant to a nursing mom can be overwhelming – especially during the first few weeks after birth: it is often the peak stress period for a nursing mom.
This is due to the fact that after birth, you will need to learn to watch out for signs of hunger in your baby and breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry. Keep in mind that your baby will often show these signs of hunger and you will also have to nurse between eight to twelve times every 24 hours.
Nevertheless, breastfeeding is the best food for your baby. Not that alone, it is also the healthiest way to feed your baby. Most importantly, Doctors recommend that women who don’t have health problems should try to give their babies breast milk exclusively for at least the first six months of life.
Besides, there are quite a number of reasons why breastfeeding is important for both the mother and the child.
So, if you’re considering not breastfeeding your child for no just reason, here are few benefits that might make you change your mind.
- Breast milk is Ideal for Newborn.
Breastmilk is an ideal food for your newborn up until the age of 18 months because it is natural – and it provides all the necessary nutrients for your new born.
Not that alone, breastfeeding also ensures your baby the best possible health benefits: best developmental and psychosocial outcomes for your baby.
In addition, your baby is less likely to be hospitalized with pneumonia bronchiolitis, or have a decreased risk of lower respiratory tract infections and allergies.
- Strengthens the Immune System and helps protect your Baby’s Digestive System
After birth, your first breast milk, called Colostrum – which is rich in immune boosters, offers vital early protection and helps to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria by coating your baby’s digestive system.
However, this early protection is even more important if your baby is born prematurely.
Besides all these benefits, it also helps strengthen and develop your baby’s immature immune system in a way no other substance can.
More so, it also helps your baby’s body respond better to immunizations against Polio, Tetanus and other bacterium that can cause a severe infection.
- Brain Development
One major benefit in breastmilk is a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid.
DHA is a vital nutrient for growth, development and maintenance of brain tissue.
Autopsy analysis of brain tissue from breastfed and formula-fed infants conducted by doctors showed that the brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA and DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest.
- Regular Exercise of the Mouth and Throat Muscle.
Breastfeeding helps babies practice swallowing and breathing mechanisms faster and better.
This is because babies tend to have weak points in the muscle support of their upper airways – because their breathing passages are narrower. Therefore, regular exercise of the mouth and throat muscle will be very helpful in keeping the airways open.
- Breastfeeding helps Strengthen the bond between you and your baby.
Hormones released while breastfeeding makes you feel closer to your baby and makes your baby feel closer to you.
Undeniably, breastfeeding your baby gives you a sense of joy and adds to the fulfillment and happiness you receive as a mother.
Not only that, it also helps your baby to recognize you as the mother and form the basis of attachment between mother and child.
- It’s cheap!
Formulas can be very expensive in the long run and breast milk can help reduce the financial burden when expenses are already high.
Also, babies will always have some wastage when feeding with formulas –because some parts of the formula which are not suitable for your baby will not be digested.
- Breast Feeding is Easy and Convenient
You don’t have to worry about bottles and the need to have an accurate mix of the powder because breastmilk comes out at the perfect temperature and it is readily available for your baby at any-time.
Plus, it is also the safest and easy to digest form of food for your baby.
- It Helps Promote Tranquil and Calm
Breastmilk is found to be naturally rich in endorphins which are the body’s hormones that promote tranquil and calm. This natural hormone helps provide a strong sense of peace and calm between both the mother and the child. However, starting from 6 months of age, babies need a variety of foods in addition to breast milk – which continues to provide nutrition and protection.
As a mother, you can now introduce mixed feeding for your baby but don’t forget that you also have to mainly breastfeed your baby. Moreover, some mothers continue to breastfeed their babies till the age of two. Notwithstanding, any amount of breastmilk is good for your baby.
On a final note, the most important thing at the end of it all is that your baby is happy, healthy, gaining the right amount of weight and thriving.