Breastfeeding.

 

Breast-feeding is the process of feeding newborn milk directly from the breast. Milk from human females provides all the nutrients that a baby needs, as well as substances that promote growth and help fight infection. Breast milk is known to protect against gastrointestinal tract infection, otitis media (ear infection), invasive Haemophilus influenzae type B infection (which can cause meningitis, pneumonia, and inner ear infections), and infections of the upper and lower respiratory tracts—even for years after the breastfeeding is done.  Kids who were not breastfed are five times more likely to have ear infections.

Hormonal changes in the female body during pregnancy prepare the breast to produce milk. After birth, when the baby first sucks on the mother’s breast, the nerves in the areola (the colored, central part around the nipple of the breast) stimulate the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, to release the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin makes the lobules, or milk-producing cells, in the breast secrete milk. Oxytocin causes the smooth muscles surrounding the lobules to squeeze the milk into the breast’s ductal system, a response known as let-down or milk ejection. The ductal system carries the milk to the nipple where the baby suckles.

For the first three to four days after the baby’s birth, the milk released from the mother’s breast is Colostrum, a thick, yellowish fluid rich in protein, antibodies, and other infection-fighting agents that is more concentrated than mature breast milk. It is also lower in fats and carbohydrates. Colostrum is replaced by early, or transitional, milk, which is thinner, lighter in color, and more plentiful. Within about two weeks of the baby’s birth, early milk is replaced by bluish-white mature milk. The mother of a premature infant has milk higher in protein and salt concentrations that meet her baby’s special needs.

During its first days and weeks, a newborn infant normally feeds 8 to 12 times or more in 24 hours. The frequent breast-feeding stimulates the mother’s hormonal system to increase milk production. Physicians advise mothers to breast-feed the baby on demand rather than by an hourly schedule. This practice not only ensures that the baby receives the proper nutrition, but also that the mother’s milk supply is maintained. Milk at the beginning of a feeding session is different in composition than milk at the end; the hind-milk, or later milk, is much richer in fats. Doctors recommend that a breast-feeding session begin and continue on one breast until the baby spontaneously stops feeding; then the mother should offer the other breast, allowing the baby to feed until completely satisfied. Halting feedings after a predetermined time may prevent the infant from obtaining the extra fat calories in the hind-milk necessary for proper growth.

Mothers may use either hand 10 or a breast pump to remove milk from the breast. Both techniques are useful for relieving pressure in the breast when mother and infant cannot be together for a normal feeding session. A nursing mother can bottle and refrigerate the milk so obtained, and use it to feed her infant at another time; this is a useful option for mothers who work outside the home.

Some pediatricians recommend that infants breast-feed for at least the first year of life, and possibly into the second and third years for optimal development. For the first six months of life, the healthy infant needs no food or fluid other than breast milk. Beyond that age, mother’s milk should be increasingly supplemented with solid food and other fluids.

Weaning a baby from breast milk to other foods should proceed gradually. As breast-feeding occurs less frequently, the body produces less prolactin, and less milk is produced. Abrupt weaning should be avoided because both mother and child need time to make biochemical and psychological adjustments; the mother’s body needs to reduce milk production gradually, and the baby needs to learn to digest other types of food.

 BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING

Perhaps the most important advantage to breast-feeding is that breast milk provides an infant with significant protection against chronic diseases such as allergies and asthma; and infectious diseases including meningitis, diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia. The immune components of breast milk constantly change to meet the infant’s need to be protected against new infections. As the infant’s own immune system grows more capable, the concentration of antibodies and anti-infection agents in the milk gradually declines. Breast-feeding appears to decrease the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), apparently because it helps prevent respiratory, gastric, and intestinal illnesses, infections, and certain immune disorders that may make infants more susceptible to SIDS. Human milk provides distinct advantages over formula or cow milk for human infants. Not only is breast milk’s nutritional composition uniquely designed for the needs of human babies, but it also contains antibodies from the mother’s immune system that help the infant fight off infections and diseases. During the first few days after giving birth, a mother releases Colostrum, a yellowish liquid that contains less fat and lactose and more protein and antibodies than regular breast milk. After about three or four days, Colostrum is replaced by a bluish-white milk that is higher in fats and carbohydrates, reflecting the energy needs of a growing baby. Breast-feeding also benefits the mother by reducing her risk of developing ovarian cancer, pre-menopausal breast cancer, osteoporosis, and hip fractures in later life.

Breast-feeding facilitates bonding between a mother and infant that is emotionally satisfying to both participants. The mother develops nurturing behaviors. The infant, in turn, learns trust. For successful breast-feeding, the baby should be held facing the mother directly, abdomen to abdomen, with the head, neck, and body in a straight line, and the mouth level with the mother’s nipple. The mother should have proper back support, and she should cradle the baby’s head in the crook of her arm. Sometimes babies develop discomfort or excessive gas from breast-feeding. These symptoms may result from the mother’s consumption of cow’s milk and dairy products, or from other foods and food additives in the mother’s diet. Eliminating the offending food from the mother’s diet will often improve the infant’s symptoms.

Some breast-feeding mothers encounter physical problems. Sore nipples, caused by the infant’s sucking, can be prevented by encouraging the baby to take the nipple and the areola deep within the mouth. Engorgement, or pressure within the breast from excessive milk, can be prevented and treated by frequent breast-feeding or by use of a breast pump. Breast pain may be a sign of mastitis, an infection of breast tissue that requires medical attention.

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breast-feeding rather than bottle-feeding as the best way to nourish infants and young children. Every family should learn about the benefits of breast-feeding and the techniques for its success. To breast feed is to be baby friendly.