Breastfeeding - How Important Is It?

Years ago, perhaps when you were a child, breastfeeding was not very popular. Breastfeeding was not encouraged as it is in todays society. Doctors didn't fully grasp how important and beneficial it is for a newborn baby. Because of this, and a few other reasons, there were many new mothers that went directly to feeding with the bottle, most often new mothers didn't even try to breastfeed their new baby.

Breastfeeding helps protect and nurture your baby in innumerable ways. There have been many studies in regard to breastfeeding babies and the results have shown increases in brainpower within as little as six weeks of breastfeeding. The study has also shown a reduced risk of obesity due to the fact that breastfed babies are much less likely to overeat than formula-fed babies. Overall, babies that have been breastfed for roughly six months are also less likely to have breathing problems.

We now know how nourishing breast milk is for your baby. Breastfeeding is highly recommended by doctors as well as health care professionals. Further, it's been shown that breast milk supports brain function as stated above and also provides valuable nutrients that would not otherwise be available. Breast milk is very special, every mother's milk is slightly different, tailored to her own baby's needs. A baby's immune system is directly affected by the breast milk of his/her mother.

Every feeding time is an extremely important time of the day, it allows the mother and baby time to bond to each other without any distractions. A new mother will really get to know her baby by breastfeeding and will feel much more at ease with him or her during breastfeeding.

Milk induced sleep is one of the most wonderful things a mother will experience. Newborns love to be cuddled and they also love to eat. When you combine the two you get an extremely sleepy baby who will snuggle up in their mother's arms long after the feeding is over. Breastfeeding will instill a naptime but you'll find yourself continuing to rock your precious little one, it's calming to mother as well.

Babies have a built-in latching instinct, although some babies will not latch properly, causing pain to the mother. You'll detect these problems early on and you'll find that most hospitals have a nursing specialist that will help to determine if your baby is latching on wrong. If you continue to have problems in this area in the first week, you should consult with your doctor. With a little practice you'll be a pro in no time! Hang in there, It's worth it!

Breast milk is not only good for your baby, but it's also good for the mother as well. It has been stated that Mother's who breast-feed their babies for at least six months have shown a dramatical reduction in the risk of various types of cancer including breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Another happy note... through breast-feeding, new mother's will also lose the additional weight she gained while pregnant, and another benefit is that it will also help her uterus contract to its pre-baby size.

All new parents want to give their babies the very best and when it comes to nutrition, the very best "first food" for baby is breast milk.

Although you may experience a few challenges at first while breastfeeding; it will be the best experience a new mother will have. There may even come a time later in life when you look back on this wonderful experience and wish that you had breast fed your baby longer.

Carlie Edwards is a successful business woman offering articles and useful information on a variety of Health and Beauty topics and issues. For more information and resources about Breastfeeding, please visit: http://breastfeeding.health-and-beauty-worx.com

Breastfeeding at work

In the not so distant past, breastfeeding was considered a taboo subject. Mothers nursed their children in private and scheduled their social contact and outings around the baby's feeding schedule. Luckily, for nursing mothers and babies alike, the traditional roles of motherhood have shifted, and so has the perception of nursing in the workplace.

One of the major reasons for the shift is the number of women entering the workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up forty six percent of the U.S. workforce. Two-thirds of new employees will be women starting or returning to work and seventy five percent of working women become pregnant during their working lives. It is no longer uncommon to be a nursing mother working full-time outside the home. Manufacturers of nursing undergarments, apparel and accessories have capitalized on this trend, benefiting their industry, employers, nursing mothers and babies.

Nursing mothers now have a wide range of choices to fit their personal needs and style. Nursing bras, once considered clunky and unfashionable are offered in chic styles, colors and patterns that can make nursing moms feel feminine with functionality that makes it easy to nurse or pump in public while still maintaining a sense of privacy and modesty.

Akin to the nursing bra, women can now choose from nursing camisoles and tanks that can be layered and coordinated with other wardrobe pieces to maintain accessibility for nursing while looking their best. Women can now dress casually or professionally in the workplace, regardless of nursing status.

Nursing mothers who work outside the home are another driving force behind the public acceptance of nursing. Approximately ninety percent of mothers leave the hospital nursing, but by the sixth month postpartum twenty four percent of part-time working mothers and only twelve percent of full-time working mothers are still nursing. That number is increasing, due in part to the availability of portable breast pumps, corporate lactation programs that offer private mother's rooms where women can pump in a relaxing environment, accessories and breaks from work exclusively for pumping breast milk.

Medela, one of the largest and well-known manufacturers of nursing bras and breast pumps, promotes corporate lactation programs that also extend to non-nursing employees by providing information to make them more comfortable with the benefits of continued breastfeeding and their nursing co-worker. In turn, this knowledge makes the nursing mother feel more comfortable and the other employees possibly more accepting of nursing or pumping in public or in the workplace.

The corporate world is realizing that they too can benefit from promoting nursing in the workplace. Breastfed babies tend to have less frequent and less serious illnesses, equating to lower absentee rates and associated health care costs. Nursing-friendly companies also receive and extra boost in public image. The return on the nursing investment for companies is well-worth the start-up costs.

Today nursing mothers, regardless of employment status, have options and opportunities that promote the healthy practice of nursing their child as long as possible. Innovations in nursing apparel and corporate and public attitudes toward nursing have also helped to create a more positive environment that is beneficial to everyone.

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The Beauty and Benefits of Breastfeeding

In recent years, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the issue of breastfeeding. While the decision to breastfeed is a personal one, there are countless benefits for both mother and child that ought to be explored. One of the most significant reasons to breastfeed your child relates to the quality of food your child is ingesting. Although baby formula may meet the nutritional requirements of children, it is not the ideal food for babies.

According to the World Health Organization, Breastfeeding is the absolute best source of food for babies. Commercial baby formula is comprised of countless preservatives and by-products of other food production techniques that have no proven benefit for your child. Formula is also extremely high in fat content, and leads parent to believe that their child is thriving because he or she is gaining weight. This is not necessarily the case.

Breast milk, on the other hand, has undergone millions of years of development in the laboratory of Nature. Countless studies have proven that there is no reasonable substitute for Breast milk. Breast milk has the amazing ability to transform and adapt to the needs of your baby at various stages of development.

Colostrum is an amazing example of the way a woman's body produces the perfect food for baby. It is the first liquid produced by a mother, usually beginning a few months before delivery. It differs slightly in appearance than breast milk, in that it is thicker and has a yellowish tint. It has a high concentration of antibodies, which helps newborns fend off illness and disease and build strong, stable immune systems. It is extremely easy for babies to digest, and it also has a laxative effect to help ease digestion.

Studies have also shown that there is a direct relationship between breastfeeding and a child's cognitive ability and intelligence. Simply put, breastfed babies have higher IQ's than their bottle-fed peers. Some studies have concluded that the longer a child is breastfed, the higher IQ he/she will have. Other studies have shown that breastfed children have a lower incidence of ear infections. This is significant when one considers the overuse of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant disease.

Food allergies are another important consideration for new parents. Breastfed babies have a much lower chance of developing food life-threatening food allergies. As a consequence, the have an even lower chance of developing related illnesses such as gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea and vomiting. Breast milk protects babies from food allergies because it has a high concentration of the immunoglobulin IgA. IgA works by binding to foreign proteins and preventing them from entering the child's bloodstream. Children do not begin to produce IgA of their own until approximately 8 months of age.

Other studies have concluded that breastfeeding can also protect your child from diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Leukemia. New parents should explore their options carefully, and make educated decisions regarding their child's health and well being. Speak with your Pediatrician, or contact your local health unit, for more information. The choice you make will affect your child's health for the rest of his or her life.

Rachel Thompson is the proud mother of two young children, and a regular contributing writer for http://www.thebabydepartment.com - a wonderfully informative online resource for parents, with information about breastfeeding, car seats, baby supplies and more.

Breastfeeding a Colicky Baby - How Can a Mom Stop the Pain?

Many women choose to breast feed because the "breast is best" however there are other mothers that breastfeed as well simply to avoid a colicky baby. Unfortunately, it does not work this way and colic is an equal opportunity condition that affects babies that are breast fed, bottle fed, and those that are fed both. However, there are a variety of things you can do to help soothe your baby's colic and reduce the pain.

Colic is not a condition that is well understood and while there are many natural and conventional remedies for this condition they are not all the right treatment for every baby. As a result, many parents try many things, sometimes to no avail, to help stop the pain of colic and have a happy and healthy baby. Regardless, as a breastfeeding mom you should keep trying remedies that might help your baby's colic until you find the right one or until your baby outgrows the colic stage. There are some things you can do as a mom as well that will possibly help.

Unfortunately, many moms that breastfeed don't burp their baby as much as needed simply because they mistakenly believe their baby is not getting too much air because they aren't' being bottle fed. This is not the case at all as breast fed babies also eat too quickly and gulp air as well. Since this air ends up in the intestines and is frequently blamed for colic pain you should burp your baby before breastfeeding and then after feeding on each breast and intermittently in between if it seems appropriate.

Another tip that breastfeeding moms should try when their baby is colicky is to reduce the amount of dairy products consumed. This might seem odd, but many babies have an allergy or sensitivity to milk proteins that are passed from the mother to the child through breast milk. As a result, if you eat a lot of dairy products and have a colicky baby stop eating diary for a few weeks and see how your baby responds. There is a big chance it will help out considerably. Another suggestion is to stop consuming large amounts of caffeine because this is transmitted to the baby through the breast milk and most babies that ingest caffeine become irritable to say the least.

You should also hold a colicky baby under four months of age in order to soothe their discomfort from colic. This is because it has been proven that babies held more than three hours a day suffer less from colic than babies that are not held. Also, you won't be spoiling your baby if he is less than 4 months of age so hold them as long as you would like to relieve their pain and help the whole family feel better.

Colic can be difficult for mother and baby and the stress it causes frequently makes the situation worse. This is because nobody is getting any rest and the mother is still recovering from delivery not to mention raging hormones and trying to figure out how to care for a new life. Obviously, it can take a little getting used to not to mention be overwhelming at first. So, if you are a new mom with a colicky baby do your best to relax and let all those friends and family members help while they are still offering! You will love the time to decompress and regenerate and your baby will benefit because you won't be as stressed and the baby will feel this and not have as much colic. Remember, breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your child and you should continue doing it as long as possible. You will develop a stronger relationship with your baby and probably feel more relaxed as well as long as you have made the above changes and your baby's colic has been resolved as a result.

Vickie Barnes is a colic veteran of two colicky babies. Please visit her website ColicHelp.com, for more support and resources for dealing with colic.