6 Things Every Mum Should Know About Breastfeeding

Very few women are lucky to sail through breastfeeding easily from the beginning. Those first days come with extreme breast tenderness and sometimes pain. Once your baby has latched on properly, the pain should reduce with each nursing session and vanish completely over time. However, please don’t ignore any shooting pain that may arise, as a knot in the breast accompanied by soreness and redness could be a plugged milk duct, which can lead to an infection that requires antibiotics. You can seek help from your doctor or midwife to adjust your child’s chin to improve your baby’s lazy suck.

2. You’re the food supply, so mother yourself

You need to take your pre-natal vitamins and drink at least 64 ounces of water a day while nursing. A new mom needs to stay well hydrated and well fed, you’ll need an extra 300 to 500 calories daily. You’ll also need to learn to relax, as stress might affect the flow of milk. Take care of your self properly, rest and eat healthy.

3. Breast milk + formula is an option

For breastfeeding mums, this is an option that you will want to look into and take advantage off. Your baby can drink formula during the day and nurse when you are back home from work. Just know that when you combo-feed, your milk production will dip, so you will need to pump regularly to keep the supply of milk up.

4. Mom, you might end up healthier too

Long term, breastfeeding helps ward off breast and ovarian cancers. In the short term, the physical contact helps you bond with your baby. Breastfeeding releases mothering hormones like prolactin, which helps keep the baby blues at bay, and oxytocin, which helps the uterus contract. Oh, and it burns calories too.

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5. Breastfeeding saves you money

If you look at the cost of buying formula for a newborn baby, it will amount to thousands 0f Naira. And, babies grow at an alarming rate for the first few years. If you take  the exclusive breastfeeding route, you get to save a lot of money.

6. Breast milk is oh so healthy!

Breast milk contains antibodies that can’t be engineered. “Breastfed babies get fewer colds and sinus and ear infections,” says Jim Sears, MD, coauthor of The Baby Book. They also have less diarrhea and constipation and a decreased chance of having allergies.