Breast Feeding
The word ‘breast feeding’ means feeding the new
born baby with the milk that is produced in the mothers breast. The child sucks
the milk from the breasts and consumes milk. A new-born baby cannot digest any
type of food including the cow’s milk as the digestive tract in the body cannot
digest any kind of hard food. Mother’s milk or the breast milk can provide high
content of nutrition to the child. The baby grows healthy and strong when it
consumes mother’s milk. In countries like India, where people follow strict
religious practices do not encourage the mother’s to avoid breast feeding
however capable they may be economically to provide milk and other infants
foods.
So far, even as proved by the medical experts,
breast feeding is the best source of nourishment to the child. However, some
experts suggest the mother’s to provide their infants with only a certain
quantity of milk in a day. They state that excessive feeding may lead to
indigestion. Today there are many methods of artifical breast feeding but they
do not provide the child with the same quantity of nutrition. During the period
of World War I many infants lost their lives due to the method of artificial
breast feeding.
Many organizations like WHO, AAP, which are
concerned to the health issues of the world promote and encourage breast
feeding.
Nutrients
Breast milk contains all the nutrients that are
present in the blood of the mother. but the composition of milk nutrients may
vary day by day or even after an hour depending upon the external factors such
as climate. They depend upon the overall health of the mother also. When the
mother just starts feeding the child, the form of milk is watery and the fat
content is less, but the milk is rich in carbohydrates. As the woman continues
her feeding the texture of the milk gets thicker.
There are many advantages of breast feeding. The
chances for a woman to develop diseases like breast cancer are less. She burns
her extra calories in the body. It helps her to regulate her body weight. It is
an advantage to her infant also. The antibodies present in the mother’s body
pass on to the child’s body. It brings a great sense of physiological
fulfillment to the mother as she experiences her motherly image. She can
create a close bond between her child. It benefits the child in many ways. The
physical development of the child depends upon the mother’s breast feeding. the
mother can maintain her hormonal balance by breast feeding. Although extensive
studied conducted by the medical experts speak about the advantages of breast
feeding, some degree of risk is also associated. The child may develop SIDS but
the cases of deaths due to breast feeding are very less. However, the reasons
for death may be due to some other complications also.
Diseases related to breast feeding
Some of the diseases that are related to breast
feeding are 1.obesity. 2. multiple sclerosis 3. Hodkin’s lymphoma. 4.
gastrointestinitis. 5. urinary tract infection.
But breast feeding provides many other benefits.
The body is immunized and therefore the growth of microorganisms into the body
is hampered. The body has the immunity produced into the body to fight against
the harmful microorganisms into the body. It helps in easy recovery against
injuries or small bruises that may be caused to the body at some point of time.
The other nutrients derived from the breast milk
are amino acids, methionine and taurine that helps in the development of brain
and nerve function. But the cow’s milk contains a chemical called
beta-lactoglobin that helps to fight against the allergies.
Breast feeding does not require any finance and
also it provides high degree of energy to the baby and relaxation to the mother
as chemicals such as oxytocin and prolactin is hormones produced in the body.
if a mother begins to breast feed her child immediately after giving birth to
the child, the levels of oxytocin increase in the body.
Breast milk is nothing but the fat that is
accumulated in the body during pregnancy and hence by feeding the child in a
day, she can lose calories. Excessive breast feeding is also not suggestible
because the ovulation process cannot be regained faster. Later on, in the
future she can encounter the problem of irregular menstruations.
Some women have already experienced better health
status. Most of the diabetic mothers started using less insulin. The children
who are fed for more than eight months have rich mineral content formed in
their bones.
Some woman have also experience a calm state of
mind after breast feeding. After childbirth some of them face mild depression
disorder because after they start breast feeding, they gain stability of mind.
The average weight growth of the child after breast
feeding is researched as follows.
He gains 175 gms in four months.
113-142 in 4 to 6 months.
Within one year he gains around 57-117 gms.
Technique of breast feeding
There are many difficulties involved in the process
of breast feeding although it is a natural human activity. Therefore the
hospital staffs, lactation consultants, midwives or nurses consult the mothers
not to weigh, bathe or carry any activity until the child is first breast fed.
The ideal time to start breast feeding is immediately one hour before the
childbirth. The mother is consulted to breastfeed the child after every two to
three hours or eight sessions of breast feed are ideal for the mother. the content
of milk production will be higher.
Initially the mother may experience frequent thirst
but will reduce it gradually.
The laws in U.S. have made liberal that a woman can
conveniently breastfeed her child anywhere she goes. Special rooms are
constructed in public places such as markets, stations, where the mother can
take the child for breast feeding.
The techniques of breastfeeding should be proper,
otherwise it causes pain in the nipple. There are many ways to breast feed the
child comfortably such as holding the child in the cradling position, sitting
position by sitting straight and leaning comfortably or sling.
Most of the medical guidelines tell us that the
infant should be breast fed until it becomes six months of age. It must not
receive any other type of nutrition other than breast milk.
Mother’s milk is the best nutrition to the child.
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