What are the benefits of breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding provides ideal nourishment and a special bonding experience that many new mothers cherish. What are some of the advantages to breastfeeding: Infection-fighting. A mother who breastfeeds her baby passes antibodies to her child which can help lower the occurrence of many conditions, including: ear infections diarrhea respiratory infections meningitis Other... [Read more...]
Are there toxins in breast milk?
Because breast milk comes from your body it is composed from what can be found in your body. Despite any efforts you may find toxins in breast milk. This is not due to any negligence on your part, simply the fact that undesirable components are found everywhere in life, water, air, food, formula, breast milk etc. With healthy eating and informed... [Read more...]
Early Engorgement
Engorgement is technically breast swelling. In reality, it is when your breasts feel like full, hard, hot, painful watermelons. Engorgement comes in two varieties, early onset and late onset. Late onset engorgement will be discussed in another article. Early onset engorgement happens when the colostrum shifts to mature milk, usually a few days after... [Read more...]
Latch techniques
The huge value in this tiny video is… stop pressing down and poking on your nipple like that! Getting milk out of your breast requires a lot of the breast tissue BEHIND the nipple to be compressed – it’s got nothing to do with the nipple itself, in that sense. Baby sucking on your nipple, and/or you poking and prodding your nipples... [Read more...]
Five item breastfeeding checklist
There are several items that can make your first breastfeeding experience much better. Nursing bra – The eight month of your pregnancy is a good time to pick up three or more nursing bras. If you can have a professional fitting for your measurements have changed since your pregnancy began and these bras fit differently than the ones you have... [Read more...]
Nursing your Toddler
The benefits of breastfeeding your toddler are no different than they are for younger children. Some of the reasons mothers decide to continue breastfeeding their toddlers are: Breast milk continues to be a wonderful source of nutrition regardless of anything else your child eats Antibodies in your milk continue to protect your toddler, even if nursing... [Read more...]
How can I tell when my baby is ready to eat?
How can I tell when my baby is ready to eat? One of the easiest ways to tell if your new born is ready for their next meal is to check the clock. Too little time since the last feeding can indicate that there is something else bothering them. With that in mind here are a few signs that you can use to tell your baby is ready to eat: • moving... [Read more...]
Cup or Spoon Feeding
One easy to implement alternative feeding method is cup or spoon feeding. Using this methods can be beneficial for an baby that has jaundice, poor elimination patterns, or bad latch. Cup feeding helps reduce the occurrence of nipple confusion and allows the infant to lap milk at its own pace. It can be messy but is an easy temporary solution. To... [Read more...]
Breastmilk Weaning and Diarrhoea
Weaning a Critical Time for Diarrhea Transmission Infants are at greatest risk of diarrhea when foods other than breast milk are first given. This is because during weaning infants are being exposed to food-borne germs for the first time and they are losing the protection of breast milk which has anti-infective properties. High levels of contamination... [Read more...]
Signs your baby is effectively breastfeeding
Once your baby has latched on the next thing you should watch for are signs your baby is effectively breastfeeding. Initially you should feel a more rapid and intense sucking sensation, this will in turn stimulate your let-down reflex. Once your milk flow is increased you should notice you baby slowing the rhythm, swallowing every two or three sucks.... [Read more...]
