subject: Information On The Advantages Of Breast Feeding [print this page] Breast feeding is becoming known more popularly as the healthy choice for woman and their infants, the question is why. Breast milk for one thing is easier for the baby's stomach to digest opposed to formula. Breast milk contains nutrients, cells and hormones that newborns need. Baby formula cannot match the chemical make up of breast milk.
Baby formula cannot exactly match the chemical makeup of human breast milk, it does not contain the hormones and antibodies that infants may need. Breast milk changes over time to give the baby what it needs. During pregnancy and right after birth the breast milk is usually thick and yellow, this type of breast milk is called colostrum, it contains all the nutrients that newborns need. Around about day three or day five it thins out and begins to look white and contains all the things your baby needs at that time including sugars and fats.
The first three to five days after birth a woman makes a thick yellow hued milk called colostrum, this milk contains a large amount of nutrients and antibodies that are very helpful to newborns. After a woman is finished creating colostrum the milk begins to thin out and become whiter to better suit the babies needs. A mother's milk always offers the exact amount of nutrients, fats and sugars that her newborn needs.
A problem a few new mothers encounter is a difficult latching issue. The infant may not latch properly and cause pain to the mother. The infant may only be sucking the nipple and not getting an adequate amount of milk.
Breast feeding shouldn't hurt if it does then you should help your baby re latch by placing a clean finger in the corner of your babies mouth to break the latch. The infant may be only sucking on the nipple which could cause pain. The nipple should not look flat or compressed when it comes out of the infant's mouth it should look long and round or the same as it did before it fed.
Breast feeding shouldn't hurt it should be a comfortable experience that brings a woman her child closer to one another. It is best to breast feed as soon after the baby is born as possible. If the woman gives a natural birth then it is best for the woman to breast feed immediately after and delay any procedures that don't need to take place immediately, this will help the infant to know who its mother is.
It is also useful to keep the infant in the same room at night so that the mother can see the first signs it being hungry. Babies show hunger by acting more alert and active they may put their fists to their mouth or make sucking motions, crying is a late sign of hunger. Let your baby decide when to stop nursing, if the baby still seems hungry after the first breast, offer the other.
