Why is breastfeeding important for your baby?
Whether you are a to-be parent or your bundle of joy has already arrived, breastfeeding is the best way to lay a healthy foundation for your child and give him or her life-saving benefits. Though breastfeeding is a personal choice, the lifelong health benefits of breastfeeding for the baby provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give your baby a healthy future. It is advisable that a child should be exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life and continued till the age of two along with appropriate nutritional foods such as vegetables, grains, fruits and proteins, known as complimentary feeding.
Breast milk is unquestionably the best source of nutrition for infants and in this World Breastfeeding Week make sure that you give your baby a healthy start. The benefits of breast milk are so many that it would be difficult to enumerate them. However, here are a few that should keep you motivated to breastfeed your child:
Breast milk has everything that an infant needs to grow in the first few years of life. It has vitamins, protein, and fat. Rich in antibodies, breast milk helps a child fight off viruses and bacteria. Children who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months are likely to fall less sick, have fewer infections.
Breast milk contains important components that help build a baby’s immune system. Unlike formula milk, breast milk changes to meet the changing needs of the baby. Not only does the breast milk changes as the child grows, but it also changes and addresses the needs of the baby when the baby is sick.
Breast milk lowers the risk of the baby developing respiratory illness or allergies.
As breast milk is easy to digest, it keeps your baby’s gut happy and promotes healthy weight gain. It helps to prevent childhood obesity.
The physical closeness and skin-to-skin touching that breastfeeding promotes makes the baby feel secure and helps him or her to sleep better. Moreover, it helps mothers not just lose weight naturally but also reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
While many women are aware of the immense benefits of breastfeeding, many working women find it difficult to breastfeed their children. As their maternity leaves come to an end, many mothers find themselves in a dilemma. However, here are some tips that can help you continue to keep breastfeeding your baby:
If you are going to be away from your baby for 8 to 9 hours a day, make sure there’s enough milk supply. For this invest in a good breast milk pump that is designed for easy and frequent pumping.
Don’t wait till the last day of your maternity leave to try the breast milk pump. It is possible that a couple of early pumping sessions may not be comfortable and successful. Thus, give yourself time to get accustomed.
Before you are off to work, make sure that the baby is used to a bottle, this will make it easy for the person feeding at home to do the job without any hassles.
Make sure that your office has a designated private space for breastfeeding women to express milk.
Wear outfits that allow you pumping access without any hassles. A crossover or V neck tops or tops with buttons are easy to pump milk without taking the garment off.
To increase the breast milk supply, take nursing vacations ie to take a break from the pump and resume breastfeeding.
First few months of joining work after maternity leave can be quite a journey. In this journey, if you face any problem, meet our lactation experts at Bhagirathi Neotia Woman & Child Care Centre, New Town, a leading maternity hospital in Kolkata. Whether your breasts are hurting during the feeds or the baby is not latching properly, our pediatricians and lactation experts can help you overcome all the problems.
Benefits of breast milk
Breast milk is unquestionably the best source of nutrition for infants and in this World Breastfeeding Week make sure that you give your baby a healthy start. The benefits of breast milk are so many that it would be difficult to enumerate them. However, here are a few that should keep you motivated to breastfeed your child:
Ideal nourishment:
Breast milk has everything that an infant needs to grow in the first few years of life. It has vitamins, protein, and fat. Rich in antibodies, breast milk helps a child fight off viruses and bacteria. Children who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months are likely to fall less sick, have fewer infections.
Develops immunity:
Breast milk contains important components that help build a baby’s immune system. Unlike formula milk, breast milk changes to meet the changing needs of the baby. Not only does the breast milk changes as the child grows, but it also changes and addresses the needs of the baby when the baby is sick.
Lowers risk of allergies:
Breast milk lowers the risk of the baby developing respiratory illness or allergies.
Promotes healthy weight:
As breast milk is easy to digest, it keeps your baby’s gut happy and promotes healthy weight gain. It helps to prevent childhood obesity.
Emotional bonding:
The physical closeness and skin-to-skin touching that breastfeeding promotes makes the baby feel secure and helps him or her to sleep better. Moreover, it helps mothers not just lose weight naturally but also reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Tips for working women to continue breastfeeding
While many women are aware of the immense benefits of breastfeeding, many working women find it difficult to breastfeed their children. As their maternity leaves come to an end, many mothers find themselves in a dilemma. However, here are some tips that can help you continue to keep breastfeeding your baby:
Invest in a good breast milk pump:
If you are going to be away from your baby for 8 to 9 hours a day, make sure there’s enough milk supply. For this invest in a good breast milk pump that is designed for easy and frequent pumping.
Prepare in advance:
Don’t wait till the last day of your maternity leave to try the breast milk pump. It is possible that a couple of early pumping sessions may not be comfortable and successful. Thus, give yourself time to get accustomed.
Get the baby used to a bottle:
Before you are off to work, make sure that the baby is used to a bottle, this will make it easy for the person feeding at home to do the job without any hassles.
Talk to your employer beforehand:
Make sure that your office has a designated private space for breastfeeding women to express milk.
Dress to pump:
Wear outfits that allow you pumping access without any hassles. A crossover or V neck tops or tops with buttons are easy to pump milk without taking the garment off.
Take vacation from pumping:
To increase the breast milk supply, take nursing vacations ie to take a break from the pump and resume breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding problems: Seek advice from the experts
First few months of joining work after maternity leave can be quite a journey. In this journey, if you face any problem, meet our lactation experts at Bhagirathi Neotia Woman & Child Care Centre, New Town, a leading maternity hospital in Kolkata. Whether your breasts are hurting during the feeds or the baby is not latching properly, our pediatricians and lactation experts can help you overcome all the problems.