Breastfeeding – every woman should know about it!

This is undoubtedly the best way to feed babies and toddlers. The properties and composition of human breast milk are unique. Research shows that almost all expectant mothers (over 90%) declare that they want to latch their babies to the breast and want to do so for as long as possible. But what should be done if breastfeeding is no longer possible?

A good start is what counts

Lactation begins during pregnancy, and the first, very valuable milk that mother gives her baby after birth is the so-called colostrum.

It happens that some mothers do not have enough or little food after giving birth. For these and other reasons, it turns out that the process of breastfeeding is not always perfect. A woman’s body is prepared to produce milk, but you need to be sure that will activate the whole process effectively. The mechanisms regulating the production of food start working immediately after giving birth through the so-called neurohormonal reflexes. This is why the first contact between mum and baby and the first attempts to feed the baby with mum’s milk plays such a large role. Even if there is not much of it in the breast, the woman should not worry. Immediately after birth, the baby does not need a lot of food. It is only fed with small amounts, and the aforementioned colostrum – the newborn’s first food – is very valuable.

Why is it worth feeding your baby with your food?

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of the baby’s life and its continuation until about 2 years of age or longer, while extending the baby’s diet. All because breast milk is a composition of various nutrients and other unique components. It is its complexity that affects the proper growth and development of an infant, which cannot be ensured by a single ingredient of mother’s milk.

Thanks to many studies, we already have extensive knowledge about the composition and functions of human breast milk. However, we are still getting to know its new properties and discovering new ingredients it contains.

For example, during the development of the child’s immune system, leukocytes and antibodies, as well as cytokines, secreted into the milk are very important. All of these ingredients help fight infections in newborns and infants. The amount of these substances increases in the milk when the baby is sick.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids favor the proper development of the nervous system and the eye. Oligosaccharides play an important role in the proper formation of the intestinal microbiota and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections6.

Interestingly, breast milk has a higher calorific value at night, which is due to the increased secretion of lipids, which helps to extend the child’s sleep. There is also a higher concentration of melatonin, tryptophan and nucleotides at night, which affects the regulation of the circadian rhythm and stimulation of sleep in a child.

– It is also worth knowing that the smell of mum’s milk has a soothing effect and lowers the levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) in the baby. And these are just some of the secrets of human food – explains the drug. Julita Chądzyńska, pediatrician, expert at BebiProgram.pl.

How is breastfeeding in Poland and in the world?

Undoubtedly, breastfeeding is the best way to feed babies. However, research shows that despite the declarations, I have only 6 percent in Poland. women breastfeed their baby exclusively from the breast for the first 6 months of life.

Regardless of the country in which a nursing mother lives, the reasons for stopping breastfeeding are the same. According to research conducted among 4000 women on different continents, mums all over the world indicate insufficient milk as the most important reason for giving up breastfeeding. It happens that the emerging difficulties and the lack of adequate support from medical personnel, loved ones or other considerations discourage women and cause that the provisions on exclusive feeding – despite sincere intentions – are not fulfilled by them.

However, you need to know that most of the problems with lactation can be solved – in such situations it is worth asking for help, for example, from a community midwife, lactation consultant or pediatrician. However, if there is a situation where a woman cannot breastfeed for justified reasons, she should then – in consultation with the doctor – choose another milk suitable for the child with a complete composition of ingredients in order to support the proper development of the infant through nutrition. The fact that a given product has a composition tailored to the needs of an infant after 6 months of age is not only confirmed by one ingredient, but only by their entire composition. It can be compared to an orchestra, where all the instruments have to work together.

This may interest you:

1. How does the body prepare for childbirth?
2. How to choose formula milk?
3. The seven most common health problems associated with breastfeeding