According to a research that has been done, 90% of the mothers in the world breast feed. In the western world, there are the lowest rates whereas in the UK, the rate of breastfeeding is very low.
The failure of women to breast feed has led to introduction of breast feeding formula. The breast feeding formula changes the acidity level in the stomach of the baby. This makes it hard to kill unwanted viruses / bacteria. This also has a disadvantage of reducing the mother’s milk. Breast feeding is very essential for the growth of the child. The size of the breast does not matter when breast feeding. The breast feeding formula can also cause constipation.
Some mothers think that breast feeding can ruin the shape of their breast. That is not the case, when a mother stops breast feeding, the shape of the breast can go back to normal size.
Mothers with inverted or flat nipples does not have any problem while breastfeeding. Most of the women breast feed successfully with very little or no help.
Best Breastfeeding Tips
The world health organization recommends that breast feeding should take a minimum of six months. Also, breast feeding can continue up to two years or more. The reason why the WHO recommends breast feeding to be done for a minimum period of six months is that, the baby’s intestines can take six months to develop fully. If other food is introduced other than breast milk, it causes an allergic reaction , eczema and inflammation of the baby’s intestinal tract.
Breast feeding mothers who become pregnant while they are breast feeding, should continue breast feeding.
Exclusive breast feeding can cause the periods not to return for up to a period of one year. This is a natural and a safer method of making the gap between the children to be longer. This is beneficial to both the mother and the child. But, breast feeding should not be relied on as a family planning method.
In the case of mothers who are HIV infected, there is milk banks which are safe to use. The maternity hospital milk bank was started in 1939 and up to now it is very strong. They have rescued the lives of many babies. The milk bank organization, will continue saving the lives of the babies in future.
The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk: Foreword by Martha Sears, RNHIV positive status
Research has been done and is still going on about mothers who are HIV positive. Some of the studies have revealed that a child who is born by a mother who is HIV positive have a better chance of becoming negative if exclusive breast feeding is done. This is because the immune system matures.
Hormones required for breast feeding
There are two hormones that are produced when breast feeding. These are:
Prolactin: after delivery, the placenta separates from the uterus. This increases prolactin level , thus signaling the body to produce milk. When a baby is suckling the breast, the prolactin levels increases. This hormone is also referred to as “milk producing hormone”
Oxtoxin:
This an hormone which is released in the mother’s body when the baby suckles at the breast. It assists to contract the alveoli in the breast to be able to squeeze the milk to the nipples where the baby can get it easily. The importance of this hormone is that, it contracts the uterus when the mother has delivered. This will reduce bleeding. This also helps to promote the bond between the mother and the baby. This is the hormone which is also referred to as the feel good hormone this is because it assists the mother to feel calm and relaxed.
How to recognize a let down: As the baby suckles the breasts, then the mother should know that oxytocin has done its job. When the mother feels tingling sensation in the breasts, this is referred to as Let down. This means that the milk is being transferred from the back of the breast .
Most of the mothers do not feel the let down in a number of weeks after delivery. If a mother is having problems in achieving the let down, the mother should try to relax and think of the baby. The mother should also pump to be able to get the let down and then breast fed the baby.