How to Breastfeed Properly

Have you ever seen a baby sucking at his mother’s breast? 
After all that loud crying, screaming, and kicking, momma holds him to her breast and suddenly, there is calm and quiet. Permit me to sound like a motivational speaker; 

“That’s the power of breastfeeding”. 

The storm ceases as the little one suckles away, eyes closed until he finally drifts off to sleep. Beautiful right?

From a historical perspective, breastfeeding was the norm worldwide until the 1930’s when the great depression and world war II led to women working outside the home. Babies needed breast milk supplements during mothers’ working hours, so, financial consideration led to the promotion of breast milk supplements globally. However, this led to disastrous consequences in developing countries, hence the current global effort to return to Breastfeeding as the best option for infants.

WHAT IS BREASTFEEDING?

We already know what breastfeeding is, or maybe not… Breastfeeding is the feeding of a child with breast milk directly from the breast or as expressed milk. There is also what is called exclusive breastfeeding, which is highly recommended by the WHO and UNICEF.

Exclusive breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant with breast milk only, without any other food or drink, not even water, for the first 6months of life. Vitamins or medicines may be given when medically prescribed.

WHAT IS IN BREAST MILK?

Breast milk contains many nutrients. Some of these are:

1. Proteins
2. Lactose
3. Fat
4. Vitamins; A,B,C,D
5. Minerals like sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus
6. Water
7. Growth factors
8. Prebiotics and probiotics
9. Cytokines, lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, which all help to fight diseases and infections

TYPES OF BREAST MILK

There are three types of breast milk

1. Colostrum; This is released in the first 5 days after delivery. It is thick, yellow, small in quantity, and contains many antibodies and proteins that are important to the baby’s immunity. Hence, it is very important for mothers to start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth
2. Transition milk; It’s produced about 2-14 days after. It is creamy, more in quantity, and usually follows colostrum.
3. Mature milk; It’s produced after day 10/14.

Also, during each breastfeeding session, 2 types of milk are expressed

1. Fore milk; The fore milk is obtained in the first part of a breastfeeding session. It contains less fat and calories and is more watery. 
2. Hind milk; Is obtained in the later part at the end of a feeding session. It has a higher fat content and calories. This is why it is important for mothers to breastfeed on each breast for a reasonable amount of time.

WHY IS BREASTFEEDING SO IMPORTANT?

Breastfeeding is important because breast milk is more easily digested by the baby. It also has anti-infective components and contains vitamins. The benefits of breastfeeding are many. There are benefits to the mother, to the baby, to the family, and even to the society.

1. Benefits to the baby

1. It provides the best nutrition, reducing the risk of malnutrition
2. Less contamination
3. It has the right temperature which is suitable for the baby
4. It promotes bonding and mental well being
5. It reduces the risk of infections and autoimmune diseases

      B. Benefits to the mother

1. It improves the mothers psychological well being
2. Early breastfeeding helps expel the placenta and reduces bleeding after delivery.
3. It reduces the risk of obesity after birth.
4. It helps return the size of the woman to the size it was before pregnancy.
5. It reduces the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

     C. Benefits to the family

1. It saves money
2. It helps to delay the next pregnancy, thereby helping in child spacing, as it is very hard to get pregnant while practicing exclusive breastfeeding.
3. It improves the mother to child bond and hence the family bond.

      D. Benefits to the Nation

1. It reduces foreign exchange, as some of the materials used in producing breast milk supplements are imported.
2. It reduces environmental pollution as there are fewer  cans and tins flying around.
3. It reduces government expenditure on the care of sick infants because it improves babies’  overall health. 

HOW TO BREASTFEED PROPERLY

A lot of new mothers have no idea how to breastfeed properly. Many end up struggling with methods that don’t work well, and just make it more stressful for both parties-Mother and child.

But, there is a proper way to do it, every new mother needs to learn this, and even if you’re not a new mother, you can still use this knowledge someday. 

There are 2 important things to note:

1. Attachment: 

This is about how you put your baby to breast.

Make sure that:

1. More areola is seen above than below the baby’s mouth
2. The baby’s mouth is wide open
3. The baby’s chin is touching the breast

Improving the baby’s attachment makes it easier for the mother to breastfeed the baby.

       2. Positioning:
 A mother can breastfeed in a sitting, reclining, or lying down position. It is very important that she is relaxed and comfortable.
Good positioning involves:

1. The baby’s head and body should be in line, which means the neck is not twisted.
2. The baby should be held close to the mother’s body 
3. The baby’s whole body is supported

CHALLENGES TO BREASTFEEDING:

1. Maternal education: Educated mothers accept exclusive breastfeeding more than non-educated.
2. Women who attend antenatal clinics practice exclusive breastfeeding more.
3. Multiple births may make it more difficult to practice exclusive breastfeeding
4. Religion; as some mothers who are fasting e.g during Ramadan or new year fast, may not be able to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
5. Working mothers sometimes claim they cannot practice exclusive breastfeeding because they have to return to work after the 3-4 months’  leave.

WHEN NOT TO BREASTFEED.

    As the Holy Book says, there is a time for everything. In like manner, despite the many advantages, there is a time not to breastfeed. It is not advisable to breastfeed if:

1. The mother is undergoing chemotherapy (I.e taking some drugs which may be expressed in breast milk. So before taking any prescriptions, let your doctor know you are breastfeeding.
2. Hard drugs e.g cocaine
3. Conditions,  like galactosemia, phenylketonuria, maple syrup urine disease where the baby is not able to handle breast milk properly.

So, if you’re an expectant mother or a new mother, I hope with these “few” points,  I’ve been able to convince you that breastmilk is the best option for the health and wellbeing of all.