The specific nutrition in breast milk
fosters optimal development, especially in terms of brain growth. |
Here's all you need to know to make nursing a wonderful bonding experience for you and your baby.
Breastfeeding your baby may be the most intimate and gratifying experience you
ever have. Besides being beneficial to the health of both you and your child, the
physical aspects of nursing - responding to your baby's hunger signals, cradling
her in your arms, and comforting her with warmth, security, and
sustenance - provide a long-term bonding opportunity that's unparalleled.
Realization of this may be why the popularity of breastfeeding has reached an
all-time high in the United States: A recent survey found that 69.5 percent of
new moms opted to breastfeed in 2001, and 32.5 percent continued nursing after
six months. Here is everything you need to know to make nursing the best it can
be for both you and your baby.
Benefits Beyond Bonding
"Breastfed babies have fewer infections overall, and breastfeeding also gives
your child long-range protection against many diseases, such as digestive
disorders and diabetes," says Ruth Lawrence, M.D., professor of pediatrics,
obstetrics, and gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and
Dentistry in Rochester, New York. "Mother's milk is made for human babies,"
Lawrence says. "The specific nutrition contained in breast milk fosters optimal
development, especially in terms of brain growth."
Nursing also offers health benefits for moms. Women who nurse their infants lower
their own risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, obesity, and
osteoporosis. From a practical standpoint, breastfeeding is convenient and
inexpensive.
After birth, your breasts produce colostrum, a thin, yellowish fluid that
provides your baby with essential nutrients and antibodies for her first few days
of life before your milk comes in. Your baby should nurse at least eight times a
day (or once every three hours) but may want to eat more often than that,
especially during growth spurts.
1|2|3
|
 |
Express Yourself